Copywriting is no easy task, but it’s a task that once you master, you can use for almost everything in life. No matter what industry you’re in, copywriting is one of the most useful skills to have. It takes practice and perfecting it doesn’t just happen overnight. As you start to practice you may find that some methods work, and some don’t so much. Here are 5 copywriting mistakes to avoid at all costs:
1. Not understanding your audience
First, you must understand the people you are trying to target. Identify exactly what kind of people you want to reach, and the ones that you’re not interested in targetting. Whenever you’re copywriting you have to understand their frustration, their desires and wants. If you can’t clearly communicate a solution to your audience’s issue, then it will be very hard to turn your leads into conversions. If you want to speak to your audience you have to understand who they are first. You have to be able to answer the following questions:
- “What is important to them?”
- “How exactly does my product or service benefit them?”
- “Which challenges do they face?”
- “What are their objections to using my product/service? Why are they hesitant?”
This requires extensive market research and competitor analysis. You have to be able to pinpoint the headaches of your audience, who they are, and even how they may land on your page. As you start gathering data from your website, this will tell you a lot about their behaviour. Without understanding them, copywriting will seem highly irrelevant to them. Make sure you have an accurate conversion tracking system so that you can learn details about your users.
2. Overselling
Nobody wants to read headlines that are constantly asking for money. If you’re not identifying the benefits of me buying your product or service, then why would I pay attention to it in the first place?
No user leaves faster than one who feels like you’re trying to just take their money.
3. Over-promising with no proof
Have you ever landed on a website that claimed to be the BEST at something? Yet they had absolutely no proof surrounding that headline to prove that they are the best. Generally speaking, saying “we are the best” at something is very dangerous. Customers do not like deceptive headlines and are more likely to exit out without that ‘wow’ factor. Make sure you are backing up all of your claims. The best way to do so is with:
- Statistics of results
- Testimonials
- Case studies
Make your user feel something. They should feel in desperate need of your product or service after reading your powerful headlines and your outstanding proof. Create a sense of urgency, and give them an offer they can’t resist!
4. Starting with a negative word
Yes, yes, we’ve all heard it before! “Start your copywriting with the buyer’s headache/problem that you can solve.” However, you need to be careful! Starting your headlines with a negative word is not a good idea, in fact, it’s a mistake. Giving the readers the feeling of negativity right off the bat is not a good way to pursue them to buy your products or services.
5. Inconsistency
You should choose the tone you want to use when copywriting. Some industries prefer a more professional tone, and others a more casual tone. If you pay attention to radio commercials, they have all kinds of tones. Some are serious and some are funny and quirky. It depends on how you want to portray your message.
Sometimes it may be inappropriate to use a casual tone, but sometimes it benefits you. Do your research and see what kind of tone your competitor s are using, and analyze the response they’re receiving from their audience. Choose your business’ tone, and style and stick to it for every message! Your business persona is very important for showing your personality to your audience.
Practice, practice, practice!
Copywriting is a learnable skill. If you set your mind to it, you can do it. Don’t forget to practice, test your headlines, and keep on improving them.
Do you have any other copywriting mistakes to avoid? I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to comment down below.
